DRUG TESTING IN SCHOOLS WON'T ACHIEVE GOALS

I respond to the June 20 Dispatch article "District requires drug tests for
sports." The Reynoldsburg Board of Education's decision to test student
athletes for drug use is no doubt well-intended but ultimately is
counterproductive.

Student involvement in such extracurricular activities as sports has been
shown to reduce drug use. Forcing students to undergo degrading tests as a
prerequisite only will discourage extracurricular activities. It also may
compel users of relatively harmless marijuana to switch to harder drugs to
avoid testing positive.

Despite the short-lived high, marijuana is the only drug that stays in the
body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic
metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for weeks.

Synthetic drugs, such as meth and heroin, are water-soluble and exit the
body within a few days. The younger generation is well- aware of these
limitations. Anyone capable of running a search on the Internet can find
out how to thwart a drug test.

Why is this relevant? Because the growing use of Ecstasy is in part a
result of drug testing. A student who takes Ecstasy on Friday night likely
will test clean on Monday morning.

Ironically, the least dangerous recreational drug is the only one whose use
is discouraged by testing. Drug-testing profiteers do not readily volunteer
this information, for obvious reasons.

Finally, I point out that the most commonly abused drug and the one most
often associated with violent behavior is almost impossible to detect with
urinalysis. That drug is alcohol, and it takes far more student lives than
all other drugs combined.

Rather than waste scarce resources on counterproductive drug tests,
Reynoldsburg educators would be wise to invest in reality-based drug education.

Robert Sharpe, program officer
Lindesmith Center - Drug Policy Foundation
Washington
01